Air America Close to Signing Off?
I am not surprised that Air America filed bankruptcy. I will admit that I am not a huge radio fan, but I respect radio. This is not the first time Air America has run into problems. I remember hearing a story about Air America on NPR's On The Media. (I do not remember the specific show)
The problem is that you cannot just stick a talker in front of a microphone and expect it to be good radio. The host or the producer has to understand radio. They have to know how to keep a audience through a brake and how to pace a show. Whenever I listed to Al Franken his shows sounded like he knew nothing about radio.
When I worked in radio I remember that Rush Limbaugh's audience was extremely loyal to the sponsors to the program. When Snapple first launched nationally they advertised on Limbaugh. They could see the effect on their sales. Even as the ratings feel the audience would buy the products that were advertising on the show. I am not sure Air America ever got that loyalty. I wonder if it because their target audience is more cynical about advertising
From the New York Times:
"It was doomed to fail," Mr. Limbaugh said, according to news wire reports. "They were not a broadcasting concern to begin with. ... They went into business to affect elections."
When I worked for WNZT in Columbia PA I talked to the owner a lot. He did not care about the politics of the shows he ran. He just carried that they made money. He was a very political man, but he knew that business was business. That is the problem with putting politics before business.
The problem is that you cannot just stick a talker in front of a microphone and expect it to be good radio. The host or the producer has to understand radio. They have to know how to keep a audience through a brake and how to pace a show. Whenever I listed to Al Franken his shows sounded like he knew nothing about radio.
When I worked in radio I remember that Rush Limbaugh's audience was extremely loyal to the sponsors to the program. When Snapple first launched nationally they advertised on Limbaugh. They could see the effect on their sales. Even as the ratings feel the audience would buy the products that were advertising on the show. I am not sure Air America ever got that loyalty. I wonder if it because their target audience is more cynical about advertising
From the New York Times:
"It was doomed to fail," Mr. Limbaugh said, according to news wire reports. "They were not a broadcasting concern to begin with. ... They went into business to affect elections."
When I worked for WNZT in Columbia PA I talked to the owner a lot. He did not care about the politics of the shows he ran. He just carried that they made money. He was a very political man, but he knew that business was business. That is the problem with putting politics before business.
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